Men in a Montana Fire
by mountainman110
Summary: That gang all live in Montana, having followed unbeatable job offers. Eric and Hyde are at their summer job, fighting raging wildfires in the back-country of Montana. When a firebreak fails, it sets the gang up for a string of events, changing all their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I dont own that 70s show. Any similarities to other stories or pure coincidence. Not based on any real life events_

_I apologize for the redundancy in the opening chapters of my stories, and the similarities between them and for the number of different ones. All the stories are E/J paired and all deal with different things. i also apologize for my overuse of Montana as a setting_

**Chapter 1: **

"C'mon Eric, you need to move. It's coming down on top of us" a wildland firefighter was shaking Eric trying to wake him up. Eric had passed out after taking a shot to the head when a part of tree fell down near his battalion. Seeing Eric not moving, his longtime friend, and Fire buddy Hyde was getting desperate. As the fire crossed the fireline, Hyde scooped up Eric and ran as fast as he could, flames racing after him. 'Man why did we decide to do this?" Hyde wondered as he kept running, as flashes of his life crossed his mind. Hyde just kept running, hoping he could out run the raging fire before he lost his breath.

Forman Manor, Near Townsend, MT

Jackie was finishing up some laundry. It had been almost 2 months since Eric left to go fight various wildfires around the state. Jackie had the radio turned on, hoping to hear good news about the fires Eric was working at. "why did he need a summer job" she wondered, as she folded the dried children's clothes. She knew Hyde was working the fires too, because his wife, Leslie Canon-Hyde and their 3 kids were staying in the guesthouse. Ted and Tori, Jackie and Eric's kids, didn't mind the new guests, as it gave them someone new to play with.

Leslie was in the living room working on some sales reports for a local equipment store. Hyde had insisted that she and the kids hang with Jackie in case something happened, even though Leslie could handle things herself. Jackie came into the expansive living room and set the clothesbasket down near the stairwell. Looking up, see could see Leslie give her a glance with a worried expression. Standing back up, Jackie walked over and sat next to Leslie on the couch and tapped her shoulder. "What's wrong?" Jackie asked "I don't know, I just have a really bad feeling about this fire. It seems too unpredictable" Leslie responded. Jackie gave her as hug, sensing her fear as Jackie had the same fear. As they sat their listening to the radio, the phone rang. Jackie jumped off the couch and ran to the phone.

Picking up the phone, "Hello" she said, as Leslie had come to join her. 'Yes is this the Forman residence?" a male voice asked. "Yes who is this?" Jackie responded, moving the phone between her and Leslie so they could both hear. "Yes this is Fez from the Wildland Fire Team. We don't have many details, but Eric Forman and Steven Hyde may be in trouble." Fez finished. Leslie and Jackie looked at each other with wide eyes. 'What happened?" They both asked, fear showing in their voices.

Scooter Gulch Fire command center 

Fez was beginning to hate is job as assistant command leader on the fire. It was his job to inform the families when a firefighter was killed or went missing. This call was no different "All we know is Eric and Steven were on the north end of the fire. A tree partially fell and reports have it that one of the was hit. The latest update is that there has been no sight of or contact with either man. Around the area they were in, we have reports that the fire has jumped the fire break, and has trapped about 6 men, but Eric and Steven are not among them" Fez finished. He could hear the women on the other end stifle back the tears as they said "Oh please no". "I will call and let you know if I get any update on them" Fez explained. "Ok thank you" The women said, as Fez could tell they were crying. Sighing, he hung up the phone, a feeling of guilt creeping into his gut.

Bozeman, Montana

"Honey, I'm home" Kelso said as he walked through the living room. Coming into the kitchen, he found Brooke on the phone. "Ok Jackie, thank you for letting me know" she said as put down the phone. Turning to Kelso, her face turned pale and she looked like she was about to cry. "What's Wrong?" Kelso asked. Brooke stepped towards him, fighting back the tears. "Jackie just told me that a fire Eric and Steven were working on, took a turn for the worse in the area they were in. A firebreak didn't hold and it trapped 6 men. Eric and Steven have yet to be account for" Brooke said as tears filled her eyes. Kelso brought her into a comforting embrace. He felt as though he had just been punched in the pit of his stomach. His two best friends were missing in the middle of the wildfire. Bringing his emotions in check, He looked at Brooke "Do you think we should tell Donna and Buddy?" he asked. Brooke nodded. Kelso continued hugging Brooke as he grabbed the phone and dialed Donna's number

Butte, Montana

"Hey Buddy, could you grab the phone?" Donna asked, as she bent over picking up armfuls of children's toys. "Sure" Buddy said as he put down the newspaper and went to the kitchen. "Hello" he said. "Hey Buddy this is Kelso". Kelso said. Buddy covered the mouth piece and motioned Donna over to the phone as well, placing the phone to where both he and Donna could hear. "What's up man?" Buddy asked. "It's about Eric and Hyde. They were working a fire, and the fire took a turn for the worse in their section. The firebreak didn't hold. 6 men were trapped but none of them were Eric or Steven" Kelso continued and Buddy and Donna's faces went pale " No one has seen or heard from Steven or Eric since the incident and no one knows their status" "Kelso said, as Buddy could tell he was fighting back tears. "Ok man, let us know if anything changes" Buddy said, as he hung up the phone. Buddy turned to see Donna had bust into tears. Buddy opened his arms, as Donna rushed in, sobbing on his shoulder. "Why don't we sit down?" Buddy said as Donna nodded.

Point Place, Wisconsin

"Ok Thank you Jackie" Kitty said, hands trembling as she placed the phone back on the receiver. "What's wrong Kitty?" Red asked as he walked over to Kitty. "It's about Eric and Steven" she said, turning into her husbands outstretched arms. "They were working on the north end of a wildfire, when it took a turn for the worse. The area they were in was where it unleashed. A partial tree fell and 6 men were trapped. Eric and Steven weren't among them" She said through the tears. By now Red could feel tears welling in his eyes. "Has anyone heard from them?" He asked. "No. No one has seen or heard from them since the incident. No one has any idea where they are or what their condition is" She said, as red hugged her tight, tears spilling out of his eyes too. 'My god, I don't what I'd do if I lost my only son' Red thought to himself.

_Eric and Hyde are in a dire spot, and their friends and families are in a helpless spot. Will the families come together and will a report come through for Eric and Hyde? Stay tuned to find out_


	2. Chapter 2: Fateful Moments

_Eric and Hyde are lost, and the rest of the gang was planning on hanging out at Forman's house until they got news. But fate had other plans. _

_Disclaimer: My stories are not all the same, they start out the same. This story will not follow any of the other stories, as everything comes with an unexpected turn_

**Chapter 2: Fateful moments**

Forman Manor

"They're all gunna stay with us" Leslie said, as she and Jackie sat down on the couch. "Is that really a good idea?" Jackie asked. Leslie nodded. "I think so, that way if anything happens, we're all here for each other." She said as Jackie nodded.

"We're here" a familiar voice called out, coming through the front door. "Kelso in here" Jackie called out. Kelso came stumbling into the living room, excited to see his old pals again. "Hey Leslie, Jackie" he said, as he bear hugged them both. All their kids had already gone out to play. "Would you like some tea?" Jackie asked, as Kelso and Brooke nodded. Jackie was busy in the kitchen making tea when she heard the phone ring again. "I got it, she called out, as Kelso, Brooke and Leslie came into the living room. "Yes this is Jackie" she responded as the gang tried to hear what the voice on the other end said. "Oh god no" she said as she suddenly felt light headed. She handed the phone to Kelso as she looked for a place to sit. "Hello who is this?" Kelso said.

"Hello Kelso, This is Martin from St. Vincent Hospital in Butte" The voice said. "I've got some grim news. We have not received them at the hospital yet, But it was reported to us that there was a severe crash outside of Butte. We are told that there was a 16 car pileup and somewhere within the wreck, there was a fire. We were told to send about 4 life flights out and were told that Donna and Buddy Morgan were involved in the wreck. By the time responders got there, their car was upside down, and Donna and Buddy were found unconscious. Only one of their three kids were found. We don't know of the other 2 and the whereabouts. Donna, her husband Buddy, and their one recovered child should be arriving by life flight any moment and we ask that someone come down and confirm them after we stabilize them" the man form the hospital had finished. By this time, Kelso had moved the phone to where everyone could hear. When the man finished, everyone looked at each other with panic in their eyes. Not only were Eric and Steven missing, but now Donna and Buddy were in trouble. "Ya someone will be there as soon as we can" Kelso replied, hanging up the phone. "Some of us have to go down there" He said looking up. "I'll go, but who wants to come with me?" He asked. Leslie slowly raised her hand. 'I'll go. Jackie needs to stay in case we get an update. And Brooke knows Jackie better than me." The rest of the group agreed and Kelso and Leslie took off for Butte.

Some time later, Jackie and Brooke were sitting on the couch, chatting about TV when the phone rang one more time. "I got it" Brooke said, as Jackie got up to follow her. "Forman residence" Brooke said, as a female voice replied "Hello, This is Pam from St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula. I'm looking for an Eric or Jackie Forman". Jackie looked wide eyed "Speaking " Jackie responded. "Hi, I'm calling to inform you about one Laurie Forman?. She was in a house fire earlier today. She was pulled out of the fire, but she had suffered severe injuries when a floor collapsed. We have got her here and we've performed some surgeries on her, but she remains in critical condition" the woman continued. "I have been asked to have a representative come to the hospital and sign some forms so we have a trail of family members." The woman concluded as Brooke and Jackie stared at each other with wide eyes. "I'll be there as soon as I can" Jackie said, hanging up the phone. 'This can't be happening' She said, frantically looking for the keys to the car. She couldn't fight back the tears as she slammed her hands on the counter in frustration. "Jackie, Jackie calm down" Brooke said, gabbing Jackie's hand. "Look, go to Missoula. I know today hasn't seemed that bright. But we will get through it" Brooke said giving Jackie a hug. Jackie took a deep breath as she looked at Brooke". "I'll call you when I get there" Jackie said, giving Brooke one last hug before she grabbed the keys a burst out the front door. "God Be With You" Brooke yelled as Jackie sped out of the driveway. Brooke turned a sat down on the couch. 'Man I hope Kitty and Red are ok" she thought, as all the kids came running inside.

20 miles from Hyde's last known position

Hyde groaned as he sat Eric on the ground. He had felt Eric beginning to stir and needed a rest. "What happened?" Eric asked in a groggy tone. "Well you got whacked by a tree and the firebreak didn't hold" Hyde replied, sitting next to Eric. Eric rubbed his eyes and looked around. "Where are we?" he asked "Honestly, I have no idea man, when that firebreak didn't hold, I just grabbed you and kept running" Hyde said. Eric looked around, seeing the fire off in the distance. Eric attempted to stand. But couldn't muster enough energy. "Just relax man" Hyde said. "They don't know where we are, so they will send a search chopper out for us in time man. You need to rest." Hyde concluded as Eric nodded and leaned back against a tree. "I hope so" Eric said, trying to get some sleep. Suddenly the men could hear a big roar. "Shit!" Hyde said, scanning the area around them, trying to locate the noise. Looking up, Hyde saw 2 Chinook Helicopters with water buckets pass over head, followed by a scout helicopter. Looking to his left, Hyde saw more flames, looking as though they were coming at him. 'Crap we stuck between 2 fires" Hyde said, scrambling to find something to alert the scout chopper of their location. Reaching for his emergency whistle, Hyde took his fire blanket out and opened it, flapping it in the air. He then blew his whistle. 'Crap" he thought as the choppers didn't see him at first. Then the chopper turned back coming in lower trying to see the two men, as Hyde fell to his knees from exhaustion.

Up in the chopper

"That's them, we found them" Fez said, motioning for the pilot to go lower. Fez grabbed his radio and radioed back their location. "Steven Hyde and Eric Forman have been located. They are 20 miles northeast of their last known location. And about 15 miles southeast of the Murray Fire" Fez said into the radio. "We will attempt a rescue, but you may need to send a medical chopper this way" Fez said, setting the radio down. "Ok dispatching the medical chopper now sir" the radio responded back. As the chopper landed, Fez could see Eric leaning up against a tree, apparently sleeping. Looking to the left, He could see Hyde, obviously exhausted, struggling to wave his fire blanket. "Go Go Go" Fez instructed the rest of the chopper crew. "Just get them on the chopper, we'll figure everything else out when we get airborne again" Fez said. The other members nodded, hurrying over to Hyde and Eric. As they lifted them and began walking towards the chopper, the could feel the fire getting closer. Hurriedly, They tossed Eric and Hyde into the chopper. Their stuff had been grabbed by Fez. "Hurry up and get going": Fez said to the pilot. The Murray Fire was closing in fast, and the chopper was having issues gaining altitude due to the excess weight. "Cmon Cmon" Fez said reaching for the radio "This is Fez. Cancel the medical chopper. We have the two men in our chopper. We are struggling to gain altitude as the Murray Fire is closing in. Requesting a water dump" Fez said, saying a silent prayer. "Copy that Fez, We have reports of a chopper within 5 miles of your location. If you can, get just above the flames and go" the radio replied. The pilot turned the Helicopter as it gained altitude.

_Eric and Hyde's rescue struggles to get out of harms way as the fire approaches. Jackie, Kelso, and Leslie are on thier way to different cities. And Brooke has yet to receive the update regarding anyone, as she is outside serving sandwiches to all the kids. _

_Stay tuned. _


	3. Chapter 3: Oh God

_Kelso and Hyde's Wife Leslie have gone to Butte to get an update on Donna. Jackie has gone to missoula for an update on her sister-in-law Laurie. Brooke is left at the Forman house with all the kids that were there. Fez is in a chopper struggling to gain air_

**Chapter 3: Oh God**

St. Vincent Hospital, Butte, Montana

"Any updates?" Kelso asked, standing up as the doctor approached. "Well I've got some good an bad news" the doctor said, motioning Kelso to sit down where he was next to Hyde's wife Leslie. Kelso agreed and sat down, not taking his eyes off of the doctor. Looking up from his clipboard, "The good news is that Donna appears to be fine. She came in with a pretty bad concussion and some broken bones and a tad bit of internal bleeding. When she got here, we were able to perform 2 surgeries that successfully stopped the bleeding. She is awake but can't move much due to all the broken bones." The doctor said. "What about Buddy?" Leslie asked. "Buddy has been stabilized, but he came in worse than Donna. His whole left shoulder is broken. We were able to stop the internal bleeding, but Buddy does have a punctured lung. He also has serious head trauma. He hasn't fully woken up, but he has responded to medical staff. We are expecting him to make a full recovery however" The doctor said, as Kelso and Leslie let out a hesitant sigh of relief. "Ok, but what is the bad news?" Kelso asked as his face turned serious. "Well the bad news deal with Tiffany Morgan, the one child we were able to recover." The doctor said, as Kelso's face flushed pale. "Tiffany was the worst of all three of them. She has a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, 4 broken ribs, 2 broken shoulders and a cracked pelvis. We have gotten the internal bleeding to stop, but so far we have had no response from her. We are still monitoring her, and she is set for more surgeries later today" The doctor finished. "Oh man" Kelso said looking at the doctor, then looking towards Leslie. "I'll come back if I get an update" the doctor said as he walked away. Still looking towards Leslie, Kelso still felt terrible. "Donna isn't going to take the news very well" Kelso said, as Leslie nodded. "First, 2 of her 3 kids are missing from the wreck and no one has seen them. And now, Donna's first born child is in critical condition" Kelso said shaking his head. "Should we at least go see Donna?" Leslie asked. Kelso looked towards her and shook his head. "No, let's wait a little bit for her to finish coming to. That'll give us time to figure out how to break the news to her" Kelso said, placing his face in his hands. "Alright" Leslie said, patting Kelso on the back.

St. Patrick's Hospital, Missoula, MT

'What was Laurie doing in Montana?' Jackie wondered, as she walked through the hospital doors. "How may I help you?" a woman asked as Jackie approached the receptionist desk. "Yes, I'm Jackie Forman. I received a call about a Laurie Forman and I got here as quickly as I could" Jackie said, as the woman flipped through her notes. "Ah here we go." The woman said, pulling a note out of the pile. "Yes, the last note I have is that the doctor is waiting to speak with you up on the 4th floor as soon as you got here. The elevator is down that hall and to the left at the clock." The woman said, pointing to Jackie's left. Jackie nodded, and turned. "Oh one more thing" the woman said, reaching into her pocket. "Here is a name badge the doctor had me get ready for you. It allows you access to the floor and allows you in and out without having to check in" The woman said, as she placed the name badge and holder around Jackie's neck. "Thank you" Jackie said with a smile as she turned and ran down the hall. 'Why didn't Laurie tell me or Eric she was in Montana?' Jackie wondered as she pressed the elevator call button. 'I wonder how bad she really is' Jackie thought as she heard the ding of the elevator. Stepping in, she looked down and pressed the button for the 4th floor. As the car began to move, 'Oh dang, Brooke is probably worried sick about me' Jackie said to herself, remembering she had promised Brooke she would call when she got there. When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, Jackie took a deep breath before stepping out of the elevator. Jackie looked around before spotting the nurses station and waiting area. Taking another deep breath, she turned and began walking towards the nurses station.  
"Oh you must be Jackie" the nurse said, as Jackie reached the nurses station. Jackie nodded, not saying a word. "The doctor will be out to speak with you in a few minutes. Is there anything I can get you?" the nurse said. "Um is there a phone here I could use?" Jackie asked. Nodding, the nurse pointed to the other side of the waiting room. "Thank you" Jackie said, as she turned and hurried to the phone. Picking up the receiver, Jackie quickly dialed the number, hoping the other end was still in the house.

"Hello, Forman Residence" Jackie heard on the other end. "Hey Brooke it's Jackie. I'm waiting for the doctor to give me an update on Laurie. Any news on Donna or Hyde and Eric?" Jackie asked, crossing her fingers for an update. Brooke took a deep breath before responding, 'As far as Donna and Buddy, not really. Last call from Michael just said that the doctors were still working on Donna and Buddy and hadn't gotten them and update yet" Brooke said, as Jackie sighed. "And what about Eric and Hyde?" Jackie asked. "No official update from Fez. Someone from the command did call to tell me a report they had" Brooke said, as Jackie pulled up a stool to sit. "What was the report?" Jackie asked nervously. "The man on the phone said, there was a report that while Fez was scouting the edges of the fires, his chopper had spotted 2 men. The two men were trapped between 2 fires with one of them closing in. The guy said that Fez's chopper was attempting as rescue as the fire closed in, but" Brooke trailed off, trying to figure out how to say it. "But?" Jackie said, feeling her heart sink slightly. "But" Brooke began, "The last contact with Fez said that the chopper was having issues gaining altitude. They said a nearby chopper was set to dump water in the area, but the water chopper has had no contact with Fez." Brooke said. Jackie felt a tear form in her eye, but quickly wiped it off. "Ok" Jackie said, trying to keep it together. Turning her head to her left, Jackie saw the doctor come out. "Hey Brooke, the doctor is coming so I gotta go. I'll call you when I have an update. Ok?" Jackie said. "Ok talk you then. Bye" Brooke said, as Jackie could hear the other end hang up. Wiping her eyes, and taking a deep breath, Jackie stood up and walked to the doctor.

"Hello, you must be Jackie" the doctor said, as Jackie approached him, nodding. "I'm Dr. Miller" the doctor said, shaking Jackie's hand. "Any update for me?" Jackie asked. "Yes I do, but I think its best if we sit down" The doctor said, motioning Jackie to sit opposite him. As Jackie sat, she looked up at the doctor, worry filling up her emotions. "Ms. Laurie Forman looks to be ok. She has suffered a broken femur, a broken wrist, a broken hip, a severely dislocated shoulder, 6 broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and appears to have a sprain in her neck" The doctor said, looking back at Jackie. Sighing, "Is she awake?" Jackie asked, looking back at the doctor. The doctor cautiously nodded. "Yes she is awake, but she isn't totally coherent as she just got done with a barrage of surgeries about an hour ago. She can talk, but she can't move fully as we have the broken bones reset and braced up." He said, as Jackie nodded. "You can go in an see her whenever. But I'll leave that up to you. And I've got a couple more surgeries to take care of, so I'll come find you if I get an update." The doctor finished, as he stood up and walked away, leaving Jackie sitting there.  
As the doctor walked away, Jackie couldn't figure out what to do, as multiple thoughts vied for attention. 'Laurie sounds like she'll be fine' Jackie thought, as a small wave of relief swept over her. 'I still have no update on Donna" Jackie thought, sinking back into her chair, 'And Fez is out trying to rescue two men, in a chopper that is having issues gaining altitude. And the man giving the update couldn't say if the men were Eric and Hyde' she thought, feeling a tiny tremble in her hands. Looking at her hands, Jackie took a deep breath, clearing her mind. Standing up, she took another deep breath and walked towards Laurie's room.  
Opening the door and stepping in, Jackie winced at the sight before her. Closing the door, Jackie turned back towards Laurie. "Hello?" Jackie heard a meek voice, looking up at Laurie's head, she could see Laurie was awake, looking miserable. "Hi Laurie" Jackie said, grabbing a chair and setting it next to Laurie's bed. 'Jackie?" Laurie asked as Jackie sat down. "Where's Eric?" Laurie asked, moving her eyes to meet Jackie's. Jackie took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to break the news. "Eric and Hyde went missing when a firebreak failed where they were fighting a fire. Fez went out in a scout chopper and spotted 2 men. The guy giving us the report didn't know the names of the men Fez was attempting a rescue for. But the chopper Fez is in.." Jackie trailed off, tears forming in her eyes. Tears could be seen in Laurie's eyes to, as she continued to gaze at Jackie. Recomposing herself, Jackie wiped her eyes, "The chopper Fez is with is trying a rescue. But after they got the men in the chopper, another fire was closing in, and the chopper was having issues gaining altitude" Jackie finished, noticing a tremble in one of Laurie's hands, Jackie looked back up at Laurie, tears in the eyes of both women. "So if one of the guys is Eric, he could still get burned to death in the fire?" Laurie said, as Jackie nodded, hoping she hadn't gone too far. She could see Laurie's face flush red, as Laurie attempted to yell. 'Shit!" Laurie groaned. Suddenly, Laurie froze, still awake and blinking, as all of the equipment connected began to screech. Jackie pressed the nurse call button and pushed away from Laurie's bed. As the room flooded with nurses and doctors, one of the nurses called out to get an operating room ready. Soon after, Jackie stood against the wall as they rushed Laurie's bed out of the room and down the hall. Looking at the last nurse in the room, Jackie knew she had ask. "Is she going to be ok?" Jackie asked. The nurse turned and shook her head, "We don't know, if this next procedure fails, we can't say what will happen to her" the nurse said, as she turned and ran down the hall.

Jackie stumbled towards her chair in Laurie's room, tears flowing down her cheek. "Good God No" she cried, as she sank into her chair.

Forman Manor

"Ok thank you for the update Brooke. Let us know is you hear anymore" Kitty said, as Brooke smiled. "I will Kitty" Brooke said, hanging up the phone. Turning towards the kitchen, Brooke stopped and took a deep breath. "What's wrong Mom? A small voice asked. Brooke looked across the counter to see 2 of her 3 kids sitting there. 'Oh hey Betsy, Tyler" she said, trying to shake off the look of worry. "Mom, what's wrong?" Betsy asked again. Sighing, Brooke looked her kids in the eye, smiling. "Oh it's nothing. Just a lot of stress going on here, with me taking care of Eric and Jackie's two kids, Hyde's three kids and my three kids and keeping in contact with everyone else." Brooke finished. "Why did they all have to leave?" Tyler asked. "Well" Brooke began "There were some things that happened and they had to go take care of them. It's no big deal" Brooke said, smiling. The kids were not convinced, as Betsy looked at Brooke, "What happened?" Betsy asked. Brooke opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the phone ringing. Rushing to the phone, she picked it up. "Hello Forman residence" she said, as the 2 kids came up behind her.

Back at the Chopper

"Come on, Come On" Fez said, as the chopper struggled to gain height as the pilot turned. Looking out the right side, Fez saw the tops of the flames at eye level. Looking back, he scanned over Hyde and Eric. Both men were out cold and didn't know what was going on. Fez turned back around to face the front trying to figure out how to help. Looking down, Fez grabbed the radio. "This is Fez to command. Do you read me?" Fez said, as he moved the radio to his ear. "Fez, is that you? This is command. We can hear you, but you are crackling" the radio replied. "Command, this is Fez. We are currently still attempting to gain altitude above the flames over" Fez said. "10-4 Fez. We read you as struggling in altitude in the Murray fire. Can you see a firebreak?" the man replied. Looking out both sides, Fez didn't see anything that appeared to be a firebreak. "Negative. All we can see are the tips of flames and some trees. We are approximately 5 miles due north of our last reported location over" Fez replied. "10-4, you guys need to get out of there now! The report from the line is the that the Murray fire jumped the lines and a fireball was said to be heading Southeast at approximately 20 miles an hour." "Copy that" Fez began "But we have yet to even see a water helicopter" Fez said. Fez felt a tap on his left shoulder. Looking towards the pilot, Fez gave him a questioning glance. "Sir, I can see another fire due east of here. And I have a report of another fire due west of here" the pilot said, as Fez felt panic wash over him. "Where can we go to get some air?" Fez asked. The pilot shook his head, "The only place we can go is towards the command post. If we try to land anywhere else, I can't guarantee we can get airborne again" the pilot said. "Fez to command. This is a distress call. We have the Scooter fire and the Murray fire combining. To our left and our right, we have 2 new fires racing towards us. We are maybe 3 feet above the fire, but the winds off the fire are making it tough to fly. We need assistance to get to command. We have Eric and Steven aboard, as we have performed a rescue. We need to get out of this for their sake. We can't land or else we will get caught between 4 fires over" Fez said, nervousness showing in his voice. "Shit! 10-4 Fez, we confirm your report as a Chopper in distress. We are sending out the containment choppers and plane. There is one thing you can try to get more altitude" The radio replied. "What"s that?" Fez asked. "I know it sounds like a suicide. But if you cut the throttle, you can drop the chopper slightly into the flames. Once you are slightly in the flames, simultaneously you open the throttle and tilt the nose downwards. Then you reduce the throttle and make a sharp turn left. Once you make that sharp turn, you go full throttle and tilt the nose down a touch. With any luck, the chopper's force will catch the fire's wind. If it catches, the chopper will suddenly get pushed upwards by the fire, until it breaks the fire wind's reach. Once out, the chopper can gain altitude and move. Are you up for trying that? Over" The radio replied. "Sounds tricky" the pilot said. Fez looked at the pilot, "Do you think we can do it?" Fez asked. "What other option do we have" the pilot said. Fez grabbed the radio, "10-4 We are going to attempt it. Requesting numerous water dumps and reallocation of resources here over" Fez said. "10-4" the radio replied, as the pilot cut the throttle. "Hang on" he said, as the helicopter descended towards the flames. As he felt the chopper descend, Fez closed his eyes, saying numerous prayers.

Back at the command post, the command leader and the radio operator were both looking at the map, having just got off the radio with Fez. "Ok here is the last one" The command leader said, connecting a line on the map to the dot over the 4th reported fire. "Sir, Fez's chopper is having issues getting away from the fire due to the wind it's causing. They are attempting a fire wind gag" the operator said as the commander froze. 'That only works 2% of the time. If that fails, we lose Eric, Hyde Fez, the pilot and the 2 other crew members" The commander said, shaking his head. "Should I call the Forman house and give them an update?" the operator asked. The commander nodded, as the radio operator picked up the phone and dialed the Forman home. "Hello Forman Residence" he heard a woman on the other end say as she picked up. "Hello Ma'am. This is Tom from the fire command post. We have a major update for you" He said, as he heard the woman slump into a chair. "Yes?" she said. "Fez's chopper indeed has Eric and Hyde aboard. However, in their area, 2 new fires have sprung up and are raging towards them. Their chopper is still having issues gaining altitude. They are going to attempt a fire wind gag to try using the fire wind to shove them up. "Tom said. "So are they going to make it?" Brooke asked. The operator sighed "We don't know ma'am. If the chopper lands anywhere up there, the men will be trapped by and overrun by four fires. The maneuver only works 2% of the time, so we don't do it often. Fez's chopper had no other options. " He said, as he was handed a report from the field. Shaking his head, he continued, "And the latest report we just got from a water chopper near Fez's location is that they saw Fez's chopper descend into the flames and they can see the blades still running slightly above the flames, but the chopper hasn't resurfaced above the flames yet" Tom said, as he heard the woman stifle some tears. "I will let you know of any updates Ma'am. Goodbye" Tom said hanging up the phone, a feeling of sadness washing over him. "I don't know if all the families could handle it if we lost them" Tom said, turning back to the commander. The commander nodded, looking at the map. "Well we aren't going to lose them. I have reports of 6 water choppers within 5 miles. And it is choppers number 1-6. Get on the radio and tell 5 of them to just go and dump." The commander said. "What about number 6?" tom asked. "Number 6 is to try saving Fez's Chopper. Have them pull in their bucket and decend to the top of the flames about 300 ft. behind Fez's chopper. Have them keep the throttle low to try creating enough down force to force the flames down from around Fez's chopper. This could give Fez's Chopper and chance to go full throttle upwards before the fire wind catches again" The commander said. Tom nodded and picking up the radio, began to radio the instructions to the choppers. 'God I hope this works' Tom thought.

_As Fez's chopper attempts a last ditch maneuver, everyone on boards life hangs in the balance. In Missoula, Laurie has been rushed off for surgery, after a fit of rage did something, leaving Jackie to wonder if she went too far. Kelso and Leslie are still in Butte, awaiting more updates on Tiffany before talking to Donna _


	4. Chapter 4: Amazing Grace

_Fez's chopper is still having issues. Kelso and Leslie are with Donna in Butte, leaving Brooke to care for 8 kids alone. Jackie tries to answer some questions about Laurie _

_Disclaimer: I do not own the song Amazing Grace_

**Chapter 4: Amazing Grace**

Among the Murray fire flames

"Come on Come on Please!" Fez pleaded, as the chopper was having issues getting enough thrust to rise out of the flames. Fez wiped sweat from his brow, as the inside of the chopper felt like a sauna with a broken temperature control. Fez's radio crackled, but Fez could not make out what they were saying. "Damn it, we lost radio contact for right now," Fez said, still hoping for a miracle.

Suddenly, the helicopter shot up slightly, but not quite enough to get out of the flames. "If we make it out of here alive, we are going to honor you in some way sir" Fez said, turning to the pilot. The pilot nodded as he opened the throttle a touch more. The helicopter moved up slightly, but it's motor was too overpowered by the force of the fire winds to be able to get enough throttle to get above the flames. "Wait a minute, don't we have a small supply of dumping water and retardant?" Fez asked as the pilot nodded. "But it isn't enough to push down the flames" The pilot said, as Fez sat back in his seat thinking. As he gazed out the front window, Fez could see two choppers making water dumps. Fez nodded, not sure what to say next, when suddenly the chopper jerked backwards slightly. 'What the hell?' The pilot asked, as Fez's radio crackled again, but Fez couldn't understand it. 'This is Fez, You a broken up so I can't understand you over' Fez said, hoping to get the radio to come in clearer.

"10-4 This is water chopper 6" the other chopped said clearly over the radio. "What's your plan?" Fez asked. "Well waters 1-5 are going to be dropping water all around you. My job is to make sure you and everyone and everything on that chopper make it out of her alive, come hell or high water over" the water pilot responded. "Ok how are we going to get out of here? Over" Fez asked, glancing at his pilot. "Well Fez, We are coming in about 300 ft. behind you. We are going to try using our chopper to get some of the flames down long enough for you to gain some altitude. I have permission to create a 300 radius around your chopper if needed. We are going to get your chopper out one way or another. We just need you to tell us where you need us the most over" Water pilot radioed. '10-4" Fez began, moving the radio between him and the pilot, motioning his pilot to join the conversation. "Here's my pilot, he'll fill you in on where we need help the most" Fez said. "10-4. Hello Fez's pilot' the radio responded. "Hello" Fez's pilot began. "First off, we need to get the flames off our tail. We can't maneuver with flames pulling the tail" Fez's pilot said. "10-4 moving in to try pushing flames off the tail" the water pilot responded. "10-4" Fez said, closing his eyes to say another prayer, hoping beyond hope that this would work.

St. Vincent's Hospital, Butte, MT

"What the hell are you talking about that they can't find Mary or Chris" Donna asked, looking at Kelso and Leslie angrily. "Well" Kelso began, "When you guys were involved in the crash, your vehicle was found overturned. The police know you have 3 kids, but they only found you, Buddy and Tiffany in the car. Responders on the scene have looked through all the wreckage and have found no sign of Mary or Chris. Search and Rescue is sending up some choppers to check the surrounding areas" Kelso finished, trying to avoid eye contact with Donna.

"Well how is Tiffany?" Donna asked as Leslie and Kelso froze. "Not good" Leslie began "The doctors told us that Tiffany came in with punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, 4 broken ribs, 2 broken shoulders and a cracked pelvis and some internal bleeding and head trauma." Leslie said, as Donna turned her gaze back to Kelso. "And" Kelso began "They got the internal bleeding to stop, but they have yet to be able to get Tiffany to respond or wake up" Kelso said, locking eyes with Donna. "Oh god no" Donna said, tears flowing down her cheek, "They can't find Mary or Chris, and now I'm on the verge of losing Tiffany? Shit!" she said, as Leslie wiped tears from her eyes. Turning to Kelso, Donna asked 'Does Jackie know yet?" Kelso shook his head as he walked towards the door, 'No but I'm on my way to call their house now." He said, closing the door behind him.

Forman Manor

"Here you guys go," Brooke said, handing out plates of food to the 8 children hungrily gathered in the living room. "Smells good, but what is it?" Tori asked, as the rest of the children giggled. Brooke couldn't help but snicker as well as she finished handing out the plates. Turning towards Tori, "Well it's a new creation I'm trying. It's sort of pasta I guess. I call it the Montana specialty. It's pasta, with Montana meat, some local Montana spices and lots of sugar" She finished, as the kids dug into the food at the mention of sugar. "Don't make a mess on the carpet or you are cleaning it up" Brooke said as she walked back into the kitchen.

As Brooke checked the sun tea she was making in the window, the phone rang. "Hello Forman Residence" she said, setting the oversized jar on the counter. "Hello Brooke" Kelso began on the other end, "We have an update on the Morgan family" Kelso said, although Brooke could hear him shift slightly. "How are Donna and Buddy?" Brooke asked. "Well Donna is ok. She came in pretty beat up but she is awake and talking. She can't move too much because of the broken bones," Kelso said. "What about Buddy?" "Well" Kelso began "Buddy is ok. He came in worse than Donna but they got the internal bleeding stopped. However, he has a punctured lung and came in with some serious head trauma. He hasn't woken up yet, but the medical staff says he is slowly responding more and more to them. They are expecting him to make a full recovery." Kelso said, as Brooke let out a hesitant sigh of relief. "What about Donna's kids?" Brooke asked, as she could hear Kelso freeze up. "Well about them" He began "Well Chris and Mary have been missing since the crash and no one had been able to find them as of yet. Tiffany is the bad news. She came in the worst of all the Morgan family here at the hospital. She has a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, 4 broken ribs, 2 broken shoulders and a cracked pelvis. She also came in with severe internal bleeding and head trauma." Kelso said, taking a breath to collect his thoughts. "But she is going to be ok right?" Brooke asked, a slight wave of panic coming over her. Kelso sighed, "They don't know yet. She hasn't responded or woke up yet. She is set for more surgeries here in the next hour so we will see what happens there" Kelso said as Brooke sat down.

"Any update on Eric or Hyde yet?" Kelso asked, as Brooke glanced outside. "Yes" she said, as she filled Kelso in on the latest update she had. When she was finished, Kelso took a deep breath; three of his closest friends had to hope against hope to get their chopper out of the fire. 'How'd Jackie take it?" Kelso asked, as he heard Brooke take a deep breath. "She doesn't know yet." "What do you mean she doesn't know yet? Where is she?" Kelso asked. "Well she is in Missoula with Laurie. Laurie was brought to a Missoula hospital after a house fire and Jackie had to go there to be with her. I can give you the number if you want to give her all the updates?" Brooke suggested. "Oh no" Kelso began "You are tougher than me, and you can stay cool. I'm go let you go so you can call her. Love you babe, bye" Kelso said, as Brooke heard him hang up. Sighing, she hung up the phone, but picked it up again, dialing the number for the hospital in Missoula. "Hello, I'm looking for a Jackie Forman" Brooke said as she reached the switchboard.

St Patrick's Hospital, Missoula, MT

Jackie was curled up in a chair in Laurie's room waiting on Laurie to come back from surgery. Jackie was sitting there with her eyes wide open with a million thoughts racing through her mind and not even one answer. 'I'm concerned about everything' Jackie thought, 'I don't have any update on Donna yet, the last thing I heard about Eric or Hyde was an unofficial report that they gave to Brooke" Jackie said, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the nurse wheeling Laurie back into the room.

"Hello, Ms. Forman, everything all right?" the nurses voice pierced Jackie's thoughts, brining her back to reality. 'Oh ya I'm fine, just doing some thinking" Jackie replied, gaze landing on Laurie. "How is she?" Jackie asked. A nurse near the table turned, "Oh she looks like she is going to be ok. We've got the issue fixed as it was a successful surgery." The nurse said, glancing back at Laurie before glancing back to Jackie. "And" the nurse began, but was cut off by Laurie. "And I'm awake and coherent" Laurie said, giving the nurses the stink eye as they left the room. "Oh Laurie, I'm glad your ok" Jackie said, walking over and gingerly hugging Laurie, with Laurie gingerly returning the hug. "Any update?" Laurie asked, as Jackie sat down. Jackie shook her head and was about to speak when the door opened. Jackie spun around to see a nurse standing there. "Jackie, we have a call for you from a Brooke Kelso?" The nurse said, a slight quizzical tone to her voice. "Yes, ill take it" Jackie began "But could you transfer it in here so I'm not hogging the pay phone?" Jackie asked, as she sat down next to the phone in Laurie's room. "Sure, just give us a second" The nurse nodded as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Moments later, the phone rang as Jackie and Laurie looked at it, while Jackie picked up. "Hello Jackie and Laurie Forman here" she said, as Brooke stifled a snicker on the other end. "Hey Jackie" Brooke began, "I've got a couple of updates for you. Nothing new about Eric and Hyde yet, the last report I got was that they were sending extra choppers to make sure everyone on Fez's chopper makes it out alive" Brooke said, as Jackie and Laurie nodded on their end. "What about Donna and her family?" Jackie asked, as Laurie flashed her a curious look. Jackie heard Brooke take a deep breath before she began, "Well The good news is Donna just had some bleeding they got stopped, a concussion and some broken bones. But Michael and Leslie said she is talking and still fiery" Brooke said as Jackie snickered. 'Buddy was a bit worse off as he had a punctured lung along with head trauma. They stopped the internal bleeding but Buddy hasn't woke yet, but he is responding more and more. They expect him to make a full recovery," Brooke said, as Jackie sighed. 'What about Tiffany, Mary and Chris?" Jackie asked hesitantly.

"Well" Brooke began "Mary and Chris are missing. The responders could find them as they went through wreckage. Search and rescue is looking for them," Brooke said, taking a breath to calm her mind. "What about Tiffany?" Jackie asked, a touch of fear showing in her voice. "Well Tiffany was the worst of the 3 Morgan family members that came in. Tiffany came in with severe head trauma and has a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, 4 broken ribs, 2 broken shoulders and a cracked pelvis. They did stop the internal bleeding, and she has a pulse, but she is not responding yet. Michael told met hat she is scheduled for a surgery sometime this hour. We'll let ya know if we hear anymore," Brooke said as Jackie sighed. "By the way, how's Laurie?" Brooke asked. "Laurie is alright, she actually just got back to me," Jackie said, moving the phone near Laurie. "I'm here, alive, sore and busted bones to hell" Laurie sad smiling as Jackie took the phone back, "She's alright, she has a broken femur, a broken wrist, a broken hip, a severely dislocated shoulder, 6 broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and a sprain in her neck" Jackie said, as Laurie nodded. "Oh wow" Brooke said, surprise showing in her voice. Suddenly Jackie heard a crash in the background and heard Brooke groan, "Oh Goodness, I hope it's not bad. I'm go let you go Brooke so you can take care of that" Jackie said, a smile crossing her face. "Ok Bye" Brooke said hanging up the phone.

Jackie hung up the phone and turned back to Laurie. "So" Jackie began, "Laurie, what are you doing here in Montana?" Jackie asked, a smirk crossing Laurie's face. "Well it's actually a funny story" Laurie began, "I originally moved here following an offer to work at a salon. But the salon I worked at was in a small town somewhere between here and Polson. And well, it caught fire one night after a mouse chewed a power cable. So I came to Missoula to try finding work. Outside the job service office, I was stopped by a woman who specializes in bench pressing, and she asked me if I ever thought of being a bodyguard" Laurie said, as Jackie snickered at a dirty comeback but didn't say it. Ignoring her, Laurie continued, "Well I agreed to give it a try. So I spent almost 5 months at this boot camp thing, which I passed so I could be one. Right out of camp, I got a client being the bodyguard for someone connected to the city council. I was actually on the job at his house when an electric short happened and the house ignited. I was able to get him out safely, but as I moved to go down stairs, the floor is was I collapsed onto the rubble from the floor below. The last thing I remember before waking up in here was speeding towards that rubble, hitting it and hearing the door smash open." Laurie said, as Jackie nodded. "Hey Jackie, want to sing a song with me?" Laurie asked as Jackie nodded. Moving closer, Jackie wondered what song it would be. Laurie smiled as Jackie settled in closer to her, "Now my voice my not be the best but bear with it" Laurie said, as her a Jackie began the song. A nurse peeked in through the window as the two women sang the song Amazing grace. The nurse smiled and walked away as the women sang out:

**The Lord has promised good to me.  
His word my hope secures.  
He will my shield and portion be,  
As long as life endures.**

_Laurie as a bodyguard? Interesting.  
_

_Sorry for the somewhat uneventful chapter, it's setting up one of the craziest chapters yet._

_Stay tuned_


	5. Chapter 5: Fire and Rain

_Fez's Chopper may make it out of the flames, but is it in the clear? Kelso and Donna receive some bad news, and Jackie has an experience she never saw coming_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor. No copyright infringement intended_

**Chapter 5: Fire and Rain**

St. Vincent's Hospital, Butte

"Ok, Thank you sir" Kelso said, hanging up the phone. As he turned back towards Donna, he saw he began to stir. "Good morning" Kelso said as Donna opened her eyes and looked at him. "Morning Kelso, where's Leslie?" she said, attempting to stretch. "Oh she left a half an hour ago. She decided to head back to Forman's place to help Brooke with the kids. She told me she would be fine to make it back alone" Kelso said, as Donna nodded and glanced to the clock. "What are you doing here so early?" Donna asked, noting it was 6:00AM. "Well" Kelso began, "There are a couple updates for you" He said as Donna locked eyes with him. Kelso sighed as he looked at Donna. He had gotten an update that Donna really needed to know, but he saw the glimmer of hope in Donna's eyes and found himself struggling to find an easy way to break the news to Donna.

"Donna" Kelso began, "When I got here this morning, I got some not so good news about Tiffany. She still hasn't woken up, but they say she is responding" Kelso said, diverting his gaze from Donna. "So she's going to be ok?" Donna asked, hoping her prayers could be answered. Donna's heart dropped as she saw Kelso shaking his head. "Even though she is doing better, the doctors aren't sure if she will actually make it. They have to run some more tests and observations on her today." Kelso said, noticing a tear falling down Donna's cheek. Kelso's heart dropped as he couldn't help but feel bad for Donna and everything she has gone through. "Any news on Mary or Chris?" Donna asked as Kelso wiped her cheek. Kelso shifted slightly and grabbed the notes from the phone conversation. "Um" Kelso began, "Well the search and rescue has reason to believe that Mary and Chris are both alive. As they pulled our car away, they found 2 sets of small footprints leading out into the hills" Kelso said as Donna nodded. Locking eyes with Donna, "Donna did you have any survival gear or weapons in the car?" Kelso asked. Donna stared at him, momentarily stunned by the question, then turned he make sure Kelso heard, "Yes we did. We had my hunting rifle in the trunk in a case, and Buddy had his camping gear in the trunk as well. It was under our luggage. Why?" Donna asked as Kelso made a note.

"Well I was asked to ask you that question because as they examined the car, they found the gun case empty and all but 2 bags of luggage were missing as well as half the camping gear" Kelso said, ignoring Donna's quizzical glare. "So what you think they are out living in the wilderness?" Donna asked as Kelso looked back at her, shaking his head. "No, we believe they have been kidnapped. We are still trying to figure out where they might be, but in some of the witness reports, there are accounts of people seeing a male with his face covered walking around your overturned car and pushing at pulling at things right after the crash. He appeared to pull 2 children out of the window and grabbed something before witnesses say he disappeared" Kelso said as Donna just stared ahead. 'This can't stop getting worse, can it' she muttered, not wanting to make eye contact with Kelso

St. Patrick's Hospital, Missoula

"Where are we going sweetie?" Jackie asked, smiling at the dream. "Just c'mon" Eric said, motioning Jackie to follow. Jackie looked around, she was in a field with streams running through it, and she was following Eric towards the forest. "

C'mon Burkhart" Eric yelled back as he stopped and playfully acted bored. "Or should I call you Brickhart?" he said, a smart-ass grin crossing his mouth. "Oh you are so dead mister" Jackie said, smiling as she took off after him. Her mind remembered this memory fondly as it rolled on. "Well ok but you have to catch me first" Eric said back, running super slow as he entered the forest surrounding the lake with Jackie catching up quickly. Eric continues running down the path as Jackie kicked off her shoes and continued running after him. As she came up behind Eric, he stopped and smiled at her, pointing towards a clearing. Following his finger, Jackie saw what the surprise was. As her eyes scanned the surprise, she felt her shoes fall out of her hand.

"Especially for you dear" Eric said, taking Jackie's hand and guiding her to the table. This table was decorated with a satin tablecloth; fine China plates, a bottle of a rather fine wine, and candles. Jackie smiled as she sat down, still shocked at the sight before her. As Eric walked around the table, she saw him grab something but she couldn't quite make out what it was as darkness crept in. Eric turned around and walked back towards Jackie, appearing to get nervous with every step. As he reached Jackie, Eric extended his hand and took Jackie's hand in his, standing her up. "Jackie, you know I never would have pictured this years ago" Eric began, gazing softly into Jackie's eyes. "But I have discovered that you mean the world to me. Every day I thank god for you being in my life, for the blessing of the sweetest person anyone could ask for. I love you Jackie Burkhart" Eric said, slowly dropping to one knee, grabbing something out his pocket.

'Oh my god its beautiful' Jackie thought, as she laid her eyes on a high quality diamond ring. "Jackie, I don't think I could live without you" he said, glancing at the ring before gazing back at Jackie, "I know you dream of more than just a boyfriend. So I've saved up and gotten you this. Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart, will you marry me?" Eric asked, continuing to gaze into Jackie's eyes. Jackie could feel happy tears welling up in her eyes as she thought for one second. Gazing into Eric's eyes, she nodded, tears flowing out her eyes,

"Yes Eric, I will gladly marry you" she said, as Eric slid the ring onto her finger. Standing up, Eric landed a soft kiss on Jackie, surprising her. Not wanting it to end, Jackie deepened the kiss. After breaking the kiss, Jackie looked at the ring and the back to Eric, "Eric, you better not die in some dumb way on me" She said as Eric smiled. Shaking his head, "Oh no worries Jackie, the only way I could see myself dying or being severely injured, subtracting natural occurrences and freak things, is in some sort of helicopter crash" He said landing another soft kiss on her lips. She smiled on the inside as she enjoyed the kiss. Suddenly, she felt a poking at her side, as she looked at Eric, he went fuzzy and was replaced by the white light of a lightbulb. "Mrs. Forman, can you hear me?" the voice asked, bringing Jackie out of her dream.

"Why was the helicopter thing in there?" she wondered as her eyes adjusted to the light. Blinking, she didn't recognize where she was. "Where am I?" she asked, glancing around the room. As her eyes adjusted, she could see she was in her own hospital room. She spotted a doctor approaching the bed, holding a clipboard. "Oh good you're awake" the doctor said taking a seat next to her bed. "What happened?" she asked, struggling to turn towards the doctor.

"Well" the doctor began, "You were attacked as you left the hospital last night. We have no idea who did it" he said, as Jackie's gaze looked at her self in the distant mirror. "How bad am I?" she asked, turning back towards the doctor. "Well you were knocked out. As you fell, your neck hit the side of a picnic table. After that, it appears as though you were hit with either a baseball bat or a hiking stick. In the end, you ended up with severe neck bruising, severe internal bleeding a broken arm and numerous cuts and bruises. We actually don't know how long you were out there for as you were in a dimly lit piece of the parking lot next to the park. People in the parking lot said they never even heard a scream" He said as Jackie's eyes widened. 'I didn't scream?' Jackie asked as the doctor nodded. Jackie had begun sliding into her own thoughts, when the sound of the door opening caught her attention. As she fixed her gaze on the door, she could see a woman in a wheelchair being pushed by a nurse.

Turning towards the door, the doctor walked over to the door, "Susan, I told you to make sure Laurie stayed in the bed" The doctor said, pointing at Laurie. The nurse shook her head, "Look Doctor I would have, but Laurie said she needed to see her sister when she heard about the attack. She tried to wheel her bed out of the room. I made the deal that she could see Mrs. Forman if she stayed in the wheelchair and I pushed her" the nurse finished, as Laurie glared at the doctor. The doctor went to speak but decided against it. 'I'll be back later" he said, closing the door leaving only Jackie and Laurie with the nurse in the room. "You ok?" Laurie asked, tears showing in her eyes as the nurse stopped the chair next to Jackie's bed. Jackie managed a nod as Laurie scanned her. 'Can you turn on the radio?' Laurie asked the nurse. The nurse nodded and turned on the radio, tuning it to a mixed genre station. Looking back at Jackie, Laurie couldn't help but tear up. 'This is my fault' Laurie said, looking at her knees.

"How so?" Jackie asked, sending Laurie a confused look. 'If I hadn't been stuck in here, I could have protected you" Laurie said, locking eyes with Jackie. "I think I might know who attacked you" Laurie said, as Jackie and the nurse exchanged glances. 'It's about the person who called you. ' Laurie said, as Jackie looked to the roof, trying to make sense of what Laurie said. As she thought, Jackie could hear the radio as the song played:

** "Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain**

**I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end**

**I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend**

**But I always thought that I'd see you again"**

Fez's Helicopter

"And we are out" the pilot said as the chopper slingshot away from the flames. "Chopper 6 pilot to Fez" the radio crackled, as fez picked it up. "Go ahead" Fez said, looking out the window. "I don't care what you say, but since chopper 6 has the room, we are going to escort you back to base to make sure everyone makes it. Over" The water chopper pilot radioed back. "10-4 buddy. But you have to let us play music" Fez radioed back, as the pilot snickered. "10-4 lets go" the radio said as Fez set it down.

Tuning the portable radio, Fez looked back as Hyde and Eric began to stir. 'Good morning boys" Fez said, smiling as Eric and Hyde blinked. "How long have we been in here?" Hyde asked. "Counting the emergency refuel, about 1.5 days" Fez said, as the radio tuned to a mixed station. "Where am I?" Eric asked, as the song ended on the radio. "You are in a helicopter" Fez said, glancing out the window as commercials played on the radio. "We rescued you and Hyde as 2 fires converged" Fez said, turning back to Eric as nodded, obviously still not fully awake, as he rocked trying to focus on Fez.

About Thirty minutes had passed since Eric had talked to Fez. "Location Check Fez" The radio crackled as Fez picked it up. '10-4, we are approximately 15 miles from the medical station. We will radio when we reach 7" Fez said, glancing back at Eric. "10-4" the radio replied as Fez set the radio down. Eric could hear music playing as he heard the lyrics:

**"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone"**

"Shit!" The pilot exclaimed, capturing everyone's attention. "What?" Fez asked as the song played on. "Well for one, we are low on gas, but I'm losing oil pressure. I have to attempt to make a landing" the pilot said as Fez reached for the radio. "Fez to base. We have chopper 6 nearby, but we are reporting a mayday. Loss of oil pressure is our problem, attempting emergency landing" Fez said, turning around and helping prep Hyde and Eric for the rough landing. "10-4 Chopper 6 will monitor and attempt recovery if needed" the radio crackled as Fez shot a worried look to the pilot.

Suddenly the helicopter began jerking wildly, shaking everyone on board. "Shit I have no handling on this. There is no way this baby is landing in one piece" the pilot said, as the chopper began to rapidly lose altitude. "May-day ,May-day we are crashing Fez radioed as the chopper swung around violently, as the ground approached. The FM radio was still turned on, as the song played on. 'Shit' Eric thought as he thought of Jackie. Suddenly, the helicopter gave a severely violent shake. The song played on:

"**Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things**

** To come**

** Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground"**

Those lyrics were the last thing anyone heard over the radio as the helicopter violently crashed into a clearing, 7.5 miles away from their destination.

"Chopper 6 to Fez, are you alive down there?" The water chopper radioed. Fez struggled to raise his head as he heard it. Pressing the talk button, Fez tried to talk, but suddenly collapsed, a hissing noise filling the area. No one else answered the choppers pleas. "Shit" Chopper 6's pilot said, grabbing the radio. "Chopper 6 to base to base answer now" he said, hoping someone was at the radios. "10-4 This is Tom at base, go head" Tom replied back. "Yes we need a team out here now. Chopper down I repeat chopper down. We are moving in to inspect get out here now!" The pilot said, put the radio down, intending to land the chopper.

7.75 miles away

"10-4 dispatching now" Tom said, setting down the radio. Placing his face in his hands, Tom sighed deeply, hoping no one else saw him. As he saw the commander approaching, he knew he was caught. "What's wrong Tom?" the commander asked, placing a hand on Tom's shoulder. Tom shook his head, trying to figure out how to word it. "Sir" he began, turning to look the commander in the eyes, 'We have a chopper down that was in route to the field medical center a quarter mile away sir" Tom said, as the commander sat down. "Sir" Tom began "Fez's chopper went down. Oil pressure problem then reports from Chopper 6 say the pilot lost handling and the chopper twisted around violently. Chopper 6 is inspecting and I have dispatched a recovery team to the scene" Tom said, as the commander stood up and punched a nearby tree.

"Shit" the commander said, slamming his hands against the tree again. The commander turned, placing his back on the tree. As he slid down to his butt, Tom noticed tears had formed in his eyes. "Should I call the Forman house with an update?" Tom suggested as the commander wiped the tears away. The commander shook his head, "No we will wait, we can not jump the gun and put those families through any unnecessary agony" the commander said, slamming his hands on the ground again.

_Why did the helicopter thing pop into Jackie's Dream? Jackie is recovering, as Laurie thins she may have the answers. Donna and Kelso are trying to piece together the new information into clues. And no one from the gang is aware of the peril facing Eric, Hyde and Fez._

_Were there any survivors of the chopper wreck? What does Laurie mean by it involved the person who called you? and will Kelso take matters into his own hands? _

_Stay tuned_


	6. Chapter 6:Soldier On

_Jackie and Laurie make a revelation that may impact Donna and Buddy. Chopper 6 begins recovery at the site of the chopper crash. And the doctors in Butte have some information for Kelso. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own the song 'St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)' by John Parr, no copyrights intended_

**Chapter 6: Soldier On**

St Patrick's Hospital, Missoula

"Ok Laurie, What do you mean it has to deal with the person who called me about you?" Jackie asked, as she still could not figure out how Laurie might have played into it. Laurie looked at Jackie, trying to figure out the best way to put it to Jackie.

"Well" Laurie began, "That person who called you is an old enemy of yours Jackie" Laurie said, as Jackie's eyes widened with a confused expression. 'Which enemies?" Jackie asked, thinking back to every enemy she had ever made in her life. "Well" Laurie began, "The woman who called you is Pam Macy. And you ruined a plan I think she had for me" Laurie said, as she felt Jackie's hand tense up.

"What plan?" Jackie asked, a slight tremble in her voice. Pam Macy had become Jackie's sworn enemy way back in Point Place when Jackie was able to beat Pam for Michael's heart. 'But Pam had intended what for Laurie' Jackie thought, as she turned her gaze back to Laurie.

"Well" Laurie began, "When I first moved here, the first person I ran into was Pam. And let's just say it ended with her nose being broken and me getting a restraining order" Laurie said, as Jackie shot her a curious look. "After that, I got a call from Pam that she was going to make my life a living hell because I was able to break Michael away from you, but she wasn't. She then threatened to have me killed if I didn't apologize. Well fast-forward some, Pam had continued issuing threats and she even slashed my tires and damaged my cars. But I never retaliated as I promised to never stoop to her level. About 2 days before the fire, I overheard a strange conversation on the other side of my back fence" Laurie said, taking a breath to gather her thoughts together as Jackie gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "What was in that conversation should have alerted me" Laurie restarted, tears showing in her eyes, "In that conversation, I heard what seemed to be a private eye giving Pam some information on what I was going to be doing that upcoming week. Pam stopped him when he mentioned I would be with the client I was guarding the day of the fire. She came up with some scheme to get the house fire, but the plan was that I was supposed to have fallen through the floor and landed on a sharp edge and died" Laurie said, gazing out the window.

"But how do I play into this?" Jackie asked, still stunned that the fire that injured Laurie had actually been set up. Laurie took a deep breath and scanned the room before looking back to Jackie.

"Well" Laurie began, "When I had overheard the conversation, I had gone to the hospital and everywhere else I had emergency contacts, and changed my emergency contact to you and Eric, as Mom had given me your number. Well Pam's backup plan when I got here was that you would not arrive until the next day. By then, I found out from a nurse, she had it setup for multiple things to mysteriously happen to me so that I would die. The incident I had when we first spoke was one of them. When I got out of surgery, the nurse I was alone with told me that Pam had made them slip something in my drink that day that is used to send someone into a weird seizure/heart attack like state. But what wasn't supposed to happen was the nurse button getting pushed. When they took me away, they sent me in for surgery and flushed what ever it was out of my system. They then moved me to a part of the hospital that Pam is hated in." Laurie said, as Jackie glanced up still confused. "Pam found out that her sworn enemy was the one who pressed the button, ruining the plan. So that night, I'm assuming that Pam is the one who attacked you, as she told me she has a baseball bat in her car" Laurie said, tears flowing down her cheek.

Jackie couldn't help but feel sorry for Laurie, as none of this was truly Laurie's fault. But Laurie's statements worried Jackie about not only Laurie's safety but her own safety as well. Jackie did have one question that came up as she thought of the rest of that gang. "Laurie, does Pam have a boyfriend?" Jackie asked, as Laurie gazed back at the nurse still guarding the door. The nurse nodded as Laurie turned back to Jackie, "Yes she does. I think his name is David mil something but he goes by Timmy. He's an old enemy of Buddy Morgan's. I only know that because he confronted me two weeks ago when I got back from visiting Donna" Laurie said, noticing that Jackie had tensed up again.

'Maybe Donna's accident wasn't really an accident' Jackie thought as she turned her eyes to the nurse. "Are these phones tapped?" Jackie asked the nurse, motioning towards the phone. The nurse shook her head, 'Not in this wing. Pam wanted to tap them, but with this wing being newer, we all resisted and the board agreed with us" the nurse finished, as Jackie grabbed the phone.

St. Vincent's Hospital, Butte

"Any updates on Buddy and Tiffany?" Kelso asked as the doctor sat down next to him. Kelso was sitting on a small couch in Donna's room, keeping an eye on her as she slept peacefully. Turning towards Kelso, the doctor checked his clipboard before looking up. "Well Tiffany has done a 180" he began, "She is awake and responsive, and seems to have healed up properly. We have been monitoring her and making sure to limit her movements to slowly work her back so she doesn't undo some healing. As for Buddy, his condition is the same as Donna's" The doctor said, as Kelso nodded. "But" the doctor began, "This whole crash is getting suspicious" the Doctor said, handing a note to Kelso. "What this?" Kelso asked, taking the note. The doctor shook his head.

"We aren't sure. It was found in Buddy's front pocket when he came in. Donna told me you were a police officer so I figured you might be able to make some sense of it all." The doctor said as Kelso opened the note. 'The note had been carefully written, and the writing was obviously a males writing' Kelso noted as he looked for any marks or clues that might give a hint to who wrote it. "Buddy, I told you years ago that I would get you good. Just note, this isn't over" The note read, as Kelso stared at the note, noticing there was no signature. 'Who hated Buddy?" Kelso thought as he raised his gaze to meet the doctors. Kelso opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a nurse opening the door.

"Mr. Kelso, we have a call from a Jackie and Laurie for you" The nurse said, as Kelso nodded. "Transfer it in here" Kelso said, shooting the doctor a serious look, "Stay here Doctor, I might have an idea" Kelso said, as he grabbed the ringing phone

"Michael?" Jackie said, as Michael breathed into the phone. "Speaking. What's up ladies?" he said, sitting down next to the phone, glancing up at the doctor. "Well" Jackie began, "We have reason to believe that Donna's accident wasn't really an accident" Jackie said, as Michael motioned for the doctor to come closer. "Why do you think that?" Kelso asked, as he mouthed to the doctor that the phone call made the wreck seem more suspicious. "Well. It all starts over here with Laurie. I've gotten tangled in her mess, but her mess extends to Buddy" Jackie said, as Kelso jotted some notes. "Ok give me the details" Kelso said as he turned to a new page. Kelso furiously jotted down notes as Jackie and Laurie recounted what Laurie had said before and what Laurie's thought was. "Ok ladies, you have been a big help and I think we are onto something. I'll call you with any updates" Kelso said, then hung up the phone. "What's the deal?" The doctor asked, noticing Donna was still asleep, or so it seemed. "Well," Kelso began, "What has happened to a friend in Missoula, reaches to here. Apparently, the person behind the incident has a boyfriend here in Butte that is an old enemy of Buddy's" Kelso said as the Doctor glanced at him. "So you think that the note is from that?" The doctor asked as Kelso nodded. Kelso leaned towards the doctor, "Look Doc, we need you to do something. We need to make sure the 3 Morgan's here are well protected" Kelso said as the doctor nodded.

Helicopter Crash site

Fez struggled to move as he felt the brief wind of Chopper 6 landing nearby. Somewhere, Fez could hear music lightly playing but couldn't make out the words. Fez lifted his head as he heard a hissing sound filling the air. "Shit' Fez over heard, s he felt 3 men pick him up.

'Shit' Bobby, Chopper 6's pilot, said as he approached Fez. Fez was bleeding profusely from his shoulder, and seemed to have suffered a head injury of some sort. Bobby could hear the radio from Chopper 6 still lightly playing, but was too focused on trying to find the others,, as he heard a hissing noise fill the air. 'Shit that is either the oxygen tank or the gas tank leaking' Bobby thought as he surveyed the wreckage. 'It is so ironic what lyrics played right as they crashed' he thought, still looking at the wreckage.

The chopper appeared to have crashed tail first, as the back rotor sat scorched at the very back most point of the wreckage. Bobby continued walking the length of the crash, noting all the tail parts violently twisted. 'Any sign of the others?" Bobby yelled as he glanced towards the cab, noting a small flame creeping from some of the tail parts towards the cab. 'Sir' a voice began yelling back, 'We have found Fez, Eric, Hyde and the pilot." The voice finished, as he approached Bobby. "Sir, the pilot is deceased as it seems his head was taken off as a rotor broke as we found a rotor lodged in his neck" the young man behind the voice said. "Ok Mac, what are Fez and the others conditions?" Bobby asked, as Mac glanced back towards chopper 6. "Well" Mac began, "Fez, Eric and Hyde are all alive. Eric and Hyde were found about 25 feet from where we found Fez, as it seems they were thrown as the rotors broke when the cab began crashing. Both had responded to us poking them, but aren't waking up." Mac said as he and Bobby turned and walked towards the chopper. "Mac, are the survivors loaded?" Bobby asked, stopping near the chopper. Mac nodded, "But sir we have no radio contact, our antenna was taken off by a tree as we landed' Mac said. Bobby shook his head, as the radio played on.

Mac and Bobby and t he rest of the crew of Chopper 6 had gotten in a closed the door as Mac and Bobby finished talking. Suddenly, a loud snap was heard form outside, looking over, everyone could see the gas and oil tank on the downed chopper leaking the liquid across the panel with the choppers name, 'St. Elmo's". As the crew watched, they saw flames reaching the base of the name panel, ensuring what was left of the chopper was going to be no more. Without thinking, Bobby opened the throttle to gain altitude as the song played out:

"**Play the game, you know you can't quit until it's won**

** Soldier on, only you can do what must be done**

** You know in some way you're a lot like me**

** You're just a prisoner and you're tryin' to break free**"

Chopper 6 had gained enough altitude to turn towards the medical center. Bobby opened throttle even more as the Chopper passed over the wreckage. Suddenly, everyone smelt smoke, followed by a massive bang. As the flames grew higher while Chopper 6 passed over, the radio played on:

"**Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's fire**

** Burning up, don't know just how far that I can go**

** (Just how far I go)**

** Soon be home, only just a few miles down the road**

** I can make it, I know, I can**"

Mac grabbed the radio, hoping in some way to pick up the radio signals to let command base know they had recovered the survivors. But it was no use as they had no radio contact save for the occasional faint words that sounded like Tom. "Chopper 6 we have recovered the survivors. We are coming towards base. St. Elmo's has exploded after crash. There are 3 survivors over" Mac desperately yelled into the radio, hoping a clean signal could get the message there.

Command Center

"Mac repeat" Tom said, looking at what he had been able to make out from the last radio transmission. All Tom could make out was ' Chopper 6 recovered,base, exploded" Tom waited, hoping to get a response back, but after a few moments, no response had come back. "What have we got Tom?" the commander asked, as Tom turned and handed him the note. "Sir" Tom began, "It seems as though Chopper 6's radio was damaged when they landed. What is there is all I was able to make out from the weak message I received from them" tom said as the commander looked at the note. Looking back at Tom, his face turned serious, "Do you think there were any survivors?" he asked, as Tom sat back. "Sir" Tom began, "I do have reason to believe there were survivors. Bobby doesn't mention recovery unless it's a recovery of a still-living person. I wouldn't know how many survived, but there is reason to believe there is at least 1 survivor, maybe more' Tom said, as the commander nodded in agreement.

Handing the note back, "Keep me posted" the commander said, turning back towards the fire map.

_Command base is holding out hope for our injured friends. Will Kelso be able to connect the dots in time, and are Jackie and Laurie really safe? Do Red and Kitty ever find out?_

_Stay tuned_


End file.
